First comes the players' pledge, then the parents' pledge, and before a Little League World Series game even starts, we are reminded.

Thanks to a few sentences about effort and positivity, no matter how monotonously they are delivered, we remember what this nationally-televised spectacle is really about -- a bunch of kids having fun.

Sometimes, however, capturing the Little League spirit comes down to more than all that good stuff we are forced to remember. Sometimes, it turns out, it's even more important to forget.

Brandon Montes is a 12-year-old from Tijuana who tends to confuse baseballs with pinatas. Put the former within striking distance of his bat, and he'll send it on the kind of flight that usually comes with drinks and peanuts.

Entering Saturday's International Championship game, Montes was 6 for 9 in the LLWS and had homered in each of Mexico's four games. You know the only two other players ESPN cited as having gone yard in four straight games in the U.S. this year? Chris Davis and Miguel Cabrera, who lead the Major Leagues with 46 and 41 home runs, respectively.

Montes was essentially the lead watt on the most high-powered offense in Williamsport. Without his Herculean hack, it's unlikely Mexico reaches the stage they do -- let alone have a chance of winning.

The kid showed the whole world his talent in a manner that deserves limitless curtain calls, and that should not soon be forgotten. But there was an instance late in Saturday's game that should.

With Mexico and Japan tied 2-2 in the bottom of the fifth, Montes ripped the 3-1 pitch down the leftfield line for a leadoff double. When the ball got away from the Japanese catcher on the next at-bat, Montes moved to third and stood 60 feet away from giving Tijuana the lead.

Two at-bats later, after Japan had recorded an out, the mighty Saul Favela hit a fly ball to deep centerfield that seemed sure to score Montes via a sacrifice fly. Problem is, Montes never tagged up.

As to why, exactly, he didn't tag, we don't know. Perhaps he was confused about his instructions, perhaps he thought there were no outs and didn't want to risk being gunned down, or perhaps his mind just went blank.

But for anyone still seeking an explanation for the flub, here's the most reasonable one out there: He's a kid.

This is what I wanted to scream to the each of the three ESPN announcers as they repeatedly brought up that play. It was perfectly acceptable for them to comment and analyze right after it happened, but to harp on it an inning later and again after Japan won 3-2? That was overkill on PEDs.

As Tijuana manager Francisco Fimbres said: "They're still learning. All I can say about Brandon Montes is that he had a great tournament."

Unfortunately, when it comes to the battle for an adolescent's psyche, one goat horn can overpower 50 acts of heroism. And I suppose you could argue that using this space to highlight a lowlight is only prolonging the discussion's lifespan. But anyone close to Montes is already aware of the situation, and given what happened they should be feeling one thing: pride.

What Montes did in Wiliamsport should be a smile source for the rest of his life. His performances should forever reside in the annals of Tijuana lore.

Was there a mistake mixed in along the way? Sure. But before high school, life is just one big preseason anyway.

The Little League World Series is about a lot of things, but dwelling on the negative isn't one of them. So when it comes to our memory banks, that play should be like so many of the baseballs that met Montes' bat.